Pleasure & Profit in Bible StudyMoody, Dwight Lyman
Religion
Pleasure & Profit in Bible Study
Moody, Dwight Lyman
Bible -- Study and teaching
I have carried one Bible with me a great many years. It is worth a good
deal to me, and I will tell you why; because I have so many passages
marked in it, that if I am called upon to speak at any time I am ready.
I have little words marked in the margin, and they are a sermon to me.
Whether I speak about _Faith, Hope, Charity, Assurance,_ or any subject
whatever, it all comes back to me; and however unexpectedly I am called
upon to preach, I am always ready. Every child of God ought to be like a
soldier, and always hold himself in readiness. If the Queen of England's
army were ordered to India to-morrow, the soldier is ready for the
journey. But we can not be ready if we do not study the Bible. So
whenever you hear a good thing, just put it down, because if it is good
for you it will be good for somebody else; and we should pass the coin
of heaven around just as we do the coin of the realm.
People tell me they have nothing to say. "Out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaketh." Get full of Scripture and then you can't
help but say it. It says itself. Keep the world out of your heart by
getting full of something else. A man tried to build a flying machine.
He made some wings and filled them with gas. He said he couldn't quite
fly, but the gas was lighter than the air and it helped him over lots of
obstructions. So when you get these heavenly truths, they are lighter
than the air down here and help you over trouble.
Bible marking makes the Bible a new book to you. If there was a white
birch tree within a quarter of a mile of the home of your boyhood, you
would remember it all your life. Mark your Bible, and instead of its
being dry and uninteresting, it will become a beautiful book to you.
What you see makes a more lasting impression on your memory than what
you hear.
HOW TO MARK AND WHAT TO MARK.
There are many methods of marking. Some use six or eight colored inks or
pencils. Black is used to mark texts that refer to sin; red, all
references to the cross; blue, all references to heaven; and so on.
Others invent symbols. When there is any reference to the cross, they
put "+" in the margin. Some write "G", meaning the Gospel.
There is danger of overdoing this and making your marks more prominent
than the scripture itself. If the system is complicated it becomes a
burden, and you are likely to get confused. It is easier to remember the
text than the meaning of your marks.
Black ink is good enough for all purposes. I use no other, unless it be
red ink to draw attention to "the blood."
The simplest way to mark is to underline the words or to make a stroke
alongside the verse. Another good way is to go over the printed letters
with your pen, and make them thicker. The word will then stand out like
heavier type. Mark "only" in Psalm 62 in this way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account